Lion Forge Recruits Diverse Preproduction Talent for Iyanu

Lion Forge Entertainment (Hair Love) has teamed with Black Women Animate Studios to recruit a diverse pool of talent for preproduction roles on the Nigerian fantasy series Iyanu.

The partnership aims to expand access and opportunities for Black and POC animators to train the next generation of creators and producers, using Iyanu as an opportunity to do so. Based on the Iyanu: Child of Wonder graphic novels by Roye Okupe, the series centers on a teenage orphan who studies Yoruba history and ancient arts and triggers her own divine powers.

With her newly discovered superpowers, Iyanu joins forces with two other teens to embark on a journey to discover the truth about the evil lurking in their homeland.

Brandon Easton (Transformers: War for Cybertron: Siege, Marvel’s Agent Carter) is spearheading the writers’ room, with Okupe serving as the executive producer, writer and director on multiple episodes. Lion Forge Entertainment’s Saxton Moore (Rise Up, Sing Out) will serve as supervising director, and executive producers include Lion Forge Entertainment’s David Steward II and Matt Heath, Impact X Capital’s Erica Dupuis and Forefront Media Group’s Ryan Haidarian and Doug Schwalbe. The series will eventually debut on Cartoon Network and Max.

Black Women Animate Studios has a background in original IP development, with experience spanning across all platforms. It drives equity in the animation industry by intentionally hiring Black women, women of color and nonbinary people of color.

“Lion Forge stands for diverse stories, authentically told,” said David Steward II, founder and CEO of Lion Forge Entertainment. “Black Women Animate is one of the organizations leading the effort to open up this industry to new voices and new creators and we are thrilled to join forces with them to provide under-represented talent with the platform they deserve. Together, we will redefine the boundaries of storytelling and inspire a new generation of diverse voices in animation.”

Taylor K. Shaw, founder and CEO of Black Women Animate, said, “We are thrilled to embark on this talent pipeline partnership with Lion Forge Animation. We are coming together to hire and train diverse talent for their upcoming series and will continue our efforts through an ongoing equity strategy that will be announced later this year.”